Episode 3: Chess Game
The ruthless official Li Jun always directs his sharp blade inward. After capturing those escorting the military funds, he plans to take them back for interrogation. Yuan Shaocheng, however, takes a different approach. He asks the transport officer if anything suspicious happened on the way. The officer mentions hearing a children’s song in Tongquan County, which is not far from the capital, where a horrific arson case occurred years ago by the then Imperial Censor, Yu Qian. In the year Zhào Fēng, Yu Qian was executed, and his entire family of over thirty was killed, despised by the public. The transport officer asked around and learned that people in the county believed Yu Qian turned into a malevolent ghost after his execution, sending the souls of women he burned to roam and harm people in the mountains.
The transport troops, filled with fear, entered the mountains at night, where a thick fog suddenly descended, and ghostly figures and eerie laughter filled the air. The soldiers, scared out of their wits, collapsed from fear, and when they woke up, the carriage and the military funds were gone. Only a few hours had passed since they passed out, leading Li Jun to conclude the thieves couldn’t have moved the funds far; he followed the wheel tracks. At Lu Danxin’s residence, Ye Ping’an introduced Níshang to others; they were all victims of the Censor case. Lu Danxin and Cai Lian initially found Ye Ping’an, who wore a butterfly pendant, and together they entered the capital to wait for the right moment. The robbery of the military funds was also orchestrated by Ye Ping’an’s group, but the funds weren’t hidden in the mountains; they were brought to the poorest area of the capital, Mang Gou.
Yuan Shaocheng, being meticulous, noticed the shallow tracks, suspecting the funds might not be hidden in the mountains, and kindly advised Li Jun not to chase a false lead. Mang Gou is home to many people of the lowest caste, despised by others, with Yuan Shaocheng being the only one to rise from this caste to become an official. Ye Ping’an hid the funds in the riverbed, telling Lu Danxin to release jellyfish into the river, ensuring that Li Jun and Yuan Shaocheng’s search with the dredgers found nothing. Predictably, Li Jun refocused his search back to the mountains, but Yuan Shaocheng kept an eye on the river. The best time to retrieve the funds would be during the night fog, but Ye Ping’an needed to outsmart Yuan Shaocheng’s spies to move the funds secretly, a task not easily accomplished, though Cai Lian trusted in Ye Ping’an’s ingenuity.
Wu Xian’er arrives uninvited, bearing an imperial decree appointing Ye Ping’an as the Palm Heart Envoy, granting her the authority to assist in investigations and act independently. Ye Ping’an shows her badge to Yuan Shaocheng and gives him a clue, but Yuan doesn’t fall for the distraction and continues to guard the river. Zheng Du Liang, now aware of Ye Ping’an’s new status, respects her more but dares not act against her yet, only watching, suspecting she’s backed by the Mei Party. Hai Yiping visits his mentor, Left Chancellor Mei Bowen, to ask how to view the military funds case. Mei Bowen advises that haste leads to mistakes and to just watch. Yuan Shaocheng doesn’t leave the river, knowing he and Du Liang are on the same side now, planning to let Qi Junshan and others fight each other.
Qi Junshan, upon hearing this, raids Qi Tai D’s shop, finding a piece of the military funds. Constable Gu Wenyu from the Court of Judicial Review, who admires a woman, gets encouragement from Yuan Shaocheng to confess his love. Soon after, Yuan learns of Qi Junshan’s raid and rushes back, only to be captured by Du Liang’s men. Du Liang orders harsh interrogation to extract the location of the funds, viewing the low-born Yuan with contempt, thinking crushing him would be as easy as stepping on an ant.
Episode 4: Yesterday’s Enemy, Today’s Friend
Du Liang, unable to extract the location of the military funds from Yuan Shaocheng, is about to kill him when Yuan manages to buy himself five days to find the funds. Before leaving, Yuan questions Qi Junshan on how he knew about the military funds in Qi Tai D’s shop, hoping to trace who framed him. Late at night, Yuan, badly injured, is returned to the Yuan family’s gate. He advises his brother, Yuan Hesheng, not to confront Du Liang yet, as it’s not the time to show their true colors. Lu Danxin returns to inform Ye Ping’an that Yuan Shaocheng has been released. Knowing Yuan is vengeful, Ye sends Danxin to bring back Ghost Uncle, as moving the funds that night seems unlikely.
Yuan Hesheng’s wife, Bai Sheng, is furious seeing Yuan Shaocheng’s injuries, blaming his association with Du Liang’s group for this misfortune. She doesn’t understand why, after returning from the battlefield, the brothers have changed, obsessed with power. Bai Sheng quarrels with Yuan Hesheng, stating she won’t shed a tear if he returns home as injured as Yuan Shaocheng one day. Lu Danxin, knowing Ye Ping’an can’t sleep, holds her hand like their mother used to, helping her fall asleep. Yuan Hesheng, following Yuan Shaocheng’s instructions, captures Qi Junshan’s subordinate, Ah Rong, and beats him to get information about Wan Guoxiang.
Nishang is tailed, manages to shake off her pursuer only to be knocked out and wakes up in front of Yuan Shaocheng. Ye Ping’an, expecting Nishang, instead meets Yuan Shaocheng. Yuan brings up the Censor case, suggesting that Zheng Yuan and Du Liang, who both rose from Tongquan County to officials in the capital, might have been involved in Yu Qian’s arson and the abduction of women, with Ye Ping’an as one of the survivors seeking revenge. Ye neither confirms nor denies, as Yuan lacks solid evidence for his bold guesses. However, Ye shares how she hid the military funds and their planned location in Mang Gou, proposing cooperation.
Li Jun, searching the mountains, finds no funds, realizing he’s been deceived, which infuriates him. By then, the funds have been moved through a secret passage to Mang Gou, where Uncle Gu, instructed by Yuan, guards the entrance. Uncle Gu advises Yuan to turn in the funds for merit in a couple of days, but Yuan has bigger plans. Born into the lowest caste, Yuan was always looked down upon by nobles. His father competed in the Dragon Gate race to escape their status, won but was gravely injured and soon died. His mother followed not long after. Yuan vows to climb to the heights of power, to crush those who consider themselves noble, and improve life for Mang Gou’s residents.
Through Nishang, Ye Ping’an learns that Wu Xian’er is meeting Qi Junshan at Wan Guoxiang, so she sends someone to lure Qi away. She seeks Wu’s advice, but Wu, being of the Wu family, won’t intervene to avoid stirring conflict with the Li family. Instead, she recommends Hai Yiping from the Ministry of Personnel. Wu sends Ye to Hai’s mansion with a message that seems innocuous, but the real purpose is for Ye to seek Hai’s assistance. Lu Danxin notices Ye’s old medicine pouch and offers to make a new one, asking what to embroider on it. Since Ye’s surname is “Ye” (meaning “leaf”), she suggests leaves.
